SNIPPETS

JUNE 2,  2010

WORTHING, England, June 1 (UPI) -- A doctor at a British hospital said a new rule requiring doctors to write "please" on blood test request forms could put patients at risk.  Administrators at England's Worthing Hospital confirmed the new policy of refusing blood tests during weekends if doctors have not written "please" on the form, The Sun reported Tuesday.The managers said the move is aimed at easing pressure on hospital workers charged with performing blood tests by making doctors consider whether the tests are essential.

I wonder if, under Obamacare, American patients will have to write "please" if they're in the middle of a heart attack.

JUNE 1,  2010

Education news, from London's Sun:   PACKS of teenagers are going to school as WEREWOLVES in the latest craze to hit America.   The kids wear yellow contact lenses and fangs - and even have fake furry tails attached to their jeans.

Soon they'll declare themselves an oppressed group, eligible for affirmative action. 

MAY 31,  2010

BUDA, Texas, May 31 (UPI) -- A Texas man said he recently received correspondence from an Italian man who found his father's lost dog tags on a World War II battlefield.  Steve Glomb of Buda said his father, Oscar Glomb, who died in 1998, lost his dog tags along with his ring and a medallion when he was carried wounded from a June 1944 battle near Gavorrano, Italy, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman reported Monday.

Perfect story for Memorial Day.

MAY 30,  2010

(AP) Race driver Tomas Scheckter's need for speed apparently goes beyond his 20th position start in Sunday's Indianapolis 500.  Scheckter got a speeding ticket Friday night on Interstate 65 in Indianapolis, where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour.

Oh, come on.  He was simply following the old wisdom:  "Practice, practice!"

MAY 29,  2010

LOS ANGELES, May 28 (UPI) -- A Cerritos, Calif., woman was charged with welfare fraud for receiving more than $60,000 in benefits while hiding assets including a Maserati, officials say.  Tangela Ridgeway, 35, was arrested with eight others this week in a massive welfare fraud sweep for receiving benefits while concealing ownership of a home, business, a Nissan SUV, the upscale 2006 sports car and other vehicles, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Look, with the cost of insuring a Maserati, no wonder she's on welfare.  Can't we be sympathetic?

MAY 28,  2010

(Reuters Life!) - Greek telecom engineers cut off the telephone line to the prime minister's house while attempting to disconnect a customer who was behind in payments, the telephone company said on Wednesday.  The Athens phone number of the customer in arrears was the same as that of Prime Minister George Papandreou's home number save for one digit, telecoms company OTE said in a statement.

Isn't this the country that just got bailed out by the European Union?  Look, what's a digit here and there?  One zero, two zeros, who cares?